Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.5

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11–12 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.4

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.5

Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.6

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.4

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.5

Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.6

Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.4

Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 5 Language standards 1 and
3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.4

Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9–10 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Students will:

Analyze a world history topic through the lens of an essential question.

Conduct collaborative research and share findings both verbally and in writing.

Materials:

Computers with internet access for BrainPOP

Preparation:

This activity can be used at the end of a unit of study or at the end of a semester/school year to help students make connections between different aspects of history. Preview the World History unit of BrainPOP and select the topics that are relevant for your students and compile them in a list. You may want to only include topics students have previously studied, or use loosely related topics to extend their learning. Develop the project guidelines you'd like students to follow and make them available for the class.

Then, select an essential question you'd like students to explore (or choose several and give students choices). Some ideas include:

Grades 3-5:
What can we learn from the past?
How do we know what really happened in the past? How can we know if we weren't there?
What methods do people/historians use to interpret and communicate current and historical events?

Grades 6-8:
What cycles and patterns seem to recur throughout history?
How do beliefs and practices of various cultures evolve over time?
Is history told by the "winners"? Is history inevitably biased?
How do different cultures express their own values and traditions?
How are the beliefs and practices of various cultures related to time, location, and events?
How does knowledge of the past influence us and help us understand the present and the future?
How do economic, historic, environmental, social, and technological forces cause change?
How has the world changed in 100 years: socially, technologically, economically and politically?

Grades 9-12:
Why are conflicting values inherent in diverse groups, and how do societies deal with resulting challenges?
What do citizenship and living in a civil society mean and where do you fit in?
What are contemporary social, judicial, economic and political factors that influence how we live?
How do you define justice and, given this definition, is ours a just society?
What, if anything, justifies armed conflict?
How do different political, cultural, or economic perspectives affect the view, interpretation, and communication of current and historical events?

Lesson Procedure:

Display a selected essential question for the class and allow students to write about it or discuss it in pairs or small groups to build background knowledge.

Facilitate a whole-class discussion around the essential question, writing down the major points that students identified. You may find that they raise additional essential questions, and you can assist students in developing appropriate wording for them.

Challenge students to explore a BrainPOP topic through the lens of the essential question you provided (or one they generated during the class discussion). Show students the list of World History topics you generated prior to the start of the lesson and allow them to work individually or in pairs/groups to select one that interests them. Ensure that the essential question and the topic that students select are a good fit.

Provide time for students to watch their selected BrainPOP movie and explore the related FYI resources. Some students may want to also check out other movie topics that are similar to the one they selected. They may also use other websites, textbooks, etc. to further their understanding.

Ask students to form a short answer or essay response to the essential question based on the movie topic(s) they explored. They should include their own personal opinion as well as evidence for their answer based on the BrainPOP resources and other information they've learned in class. Students may work individually or collaboratively on their responses.

Give students opportunities to read and talk about one another's responses. You may want to divide students into small groups and provide 10-15 minutes for discussion, then mix up the groups and repeat the activity.

Have students reflect on how their understandings changed after the group discussions. Would they respond to the essential question differently now that they've heard others' reasonings? What new insights have they had?

Extension Activity:

Post the essential question(s) students responded to and revisit them periodically throughout the school year. Provide students with opportunities to re-read and add to their responses as their understanding of world history deepens.